Feature Stories

Betty S. Butron Groce, '77

A native of Manistee, Michigan, Betty Burton is a lifelong resident of West Michigan. An accomplished business person, social worker, advocate for the arts and human rights, and mother of three, she is most proud of her many years as an elementary teacher.

She earned a baccalaureate degree from Western Michigan University, and completed her master of education degree at GVSU in 1977. Mrs. Burton and her husband Johnny founded Wonderland Business Forms, Inc., in 1981, and developed the business into a thriving, minority owned and operated firm.

When Mr. Burton suffered a stroke in 1987, she left the classroom and took over as Chief Executive Officer of the firm. In 1996, a year after Mr. Burton passed away, Betty established the Johnny C. Burton Memorial Scholarship Fund at GVSU, benefiting African American students pursuing business degrees through Grand Valley's Minority Business Education Center.